As Josh stood on the landing, he heard a noise from upstairs that sounded like someone snorting a vacuum cleaner. After a while, he realized it was Zak sobbing. He bounded upstairs and knocked on his door. The sobbing stopped.

"Zak?" whispered Josh. "Can I come in?"

After a while, there was a muted "Yes."

Josh pushed Zak's door slowly, catching the flying cyberdog as it flew toward him and jumping over the trip wire. He sat on Zak's bed.

"What's up, little man?"

Zak wiped his face.

"I had a nasty dream."

"Was Jo falling off a cliff?"

There was silence in the dark.

"No," whispered Zak.

"Go on."

Zak sat up in bed. "Mummy left us"-he sniffed-"because, because she had to go and be a nanny...for Jo...in the north somewhere. And then Daddy left us because he couldn't live without Mummy."

Josh hugged his brother. "Mate," he said, "no one's ever going to leave you."

Zak leaned into Josh and sniffed. "Jo left," he whispered.

"But she'll be back. I know she will."

They sat up until Josh was woken by the sound of a lawnmower in his ear. Zak was snoring.

After tucking Zak in, Josh went downstairs and walked slowly through Jo's empty room to his own. Sitting on his bed, he made up his mind. For the sake of the children, for the sake of the family, there was only one thing he could do. He was going to bring Jo back.

Chapter 23.

Josh woke early the next morning and found the kids watching television in their pajamas. Soft sounds of adults abluting upstairs filled in the gaps left by the Teletubbies.

"Right! Kids," he began- "Shh!" said Tallulah.

"This is boring," said Zak. "It's for babies."

"So you should enjoy it then," said Ca.s.sandra.

"Right, kids," repeated Josh. "I'm going to bring Jo back."

The children tore their eyes away from footage of a little girl finding a slug under a tree for the third time.

"I know," said Josh. "It was a bit of a surprise to me too, but, well. There it is."

And when they all leaped on him, he knew he'd made the right decision. He explained that they had to keep it a secret from the adults, and did they think they could manage that, and they said yes, and then they hugged him again, and that morning, he went to work with a spring in his step and a great big dollop of happiness in his heart.

On Sat.u.r.day morning, the children, including Toby, woke early. Vanessa and d.i.c.k were delighted that they all wanted to help Josh wash Jo's car-even Toby-and when Josh offered to take it for a spin to keep the battery charged, they said he could use it until Jo came back.

After an hour, Toby and Josh were finishing off cleaning the car and Ca.s.sie, Zak, and Tallulah were inside finishing off chocolate biscuits and diluted orange juice.

"So how do you know she's going to come back?" Toby asked Josh while polishing the bonnet.

"I don't," said Josh, giving the roof a final rub. "But it's worth a try. The kids are a mess without her. And the other day I heard Dad and Vanessa having an awful row."

Toby seemed unmoved.

"Tobe, Dad was crying."

"s.h.i.t."

"Yeah. We need Jo back."

Toby nodded.

"How's Anastasia?" Josh winked.

"Wicked." Toby grinned.

"And how's the terrifying Todd Carter?"

"Very nice. Offered to do my math homework for me the other day."

"What did you say?"

"I said 'p.i.s.s off, I want to pa.s.s.'"

"s.h.i.t," whispered Josh. "Be careful, Tobe."

"I was joking. I said thanks, but no thanks."

"Good."

Toby opened the car door to clean the inside.

"Oh, lame!" He emited an abrupt laugh.

"What?"

"Look!"

Toby leaned across and took out Jo's dashboard cuddly toys.

"Put those back, Tobe."

Toby made a sound like a cow dying.

"Stop laughing," said Josh. "You really can be a prat sometimes. This is the woman who's got two CID policemen as mates, and you're taking the p.i.s.s out of her cuddly toys."

Toby studied them in his hands. "Actually," he said. "They're quite cute."

"Put them back and help me finish."

Toby put them back. "So why aren't you telling Dad and Vanessa about going to get Jo?" he asked.

"'Cos they might not understand," said Josh.

"What's not to understand? You miss Jo, so you're-"

"The kids miss her," interrupted Josh. "Two nightmares in one night. And Tallulah keeps getting them. And Dad and Vanessa have been rowing really badly. I'm doing it for the family."

"Why?" asked Toby.

"'Cos I'm nice, that's why."

"What's this family ever done for you?"

Josh and Toby faced each other over the roof of the car.

"Tobe?"

"Mm?"

"Let's go for a quick ride. Might let you drive if we find an empty parking lot."

Toby jumped into the pa.s.senger seat.

Josh did let Toby drive. And he also told him about the conversation he'd had with their mum. And he explained that whether he liked it or not, Ca.s.sie, Tallulah, and Zak had nothing to do with Dad leaving Mum, and just as he'd had to grow up sharing his dad with them, they'd had to grow up knowing they had to share their dad with a boy who hated them. And they were going to be his brother and sisters all his life, and they would never forget how he treated them now.

Toby was quiet on the way home. When they stopped at a petrol station, Josh bought him some chocolates to cheer him up.

When they got home, Toby raced in.

"Oy! Lula!" he shouted at Tallulah, who was drawing at the kitchen table.

"It's Tallulah!" yelled Tallulah.

"What have I got in my hand, Tallulah?" Toby held up a closed fist. Tallulah flinched, got up from the table, and walked quickly into the garden.

"What did I tell you?" shouted Josh.

Toby opened his fist. Inside was a squashed chocolate.

"I was going to give it to her," he said in a strangled voice, before rushing upstairs.

Josh would have gone up after him, but he had to get to Niblet-upon-Avon.

Later that afternoon, the children had a meeting in Tallulah's room. Zak was only too pleased, as Toby had shut him out of their room all afternoon.

"I think we can say the plan went well," began Ca.s.sie. She looked at her watch. "Josh should be arriving at Jo's within half an hour."

They all giggled.

"And Zak," continued Ca.s.sie, "your timing was superb. I think Josh was moved by Tallulah's act, but it took yours to clinch the deal."

Zak frowned. "What act?" he asked.

Ca.s.sie looked at her little brother.

"Never mind," she said. "We did it. That's what's important."

When the doorbell rang at Jo's parents' front door, Jo was vacuuming the lounge while her father helped her mother walk upstairs.

"Get that, will you?" he shouted.

Jo made her way to the door and glanced absentmindedly at the hall mirror on her way. Amazing what a bit of difference good country air can do for you, she thought. Her skin was glowing.

She opened the door and found Sheila standing there with a self-consciously sad smile and an enormous bunch of red carnations.

"Shee!" cried Jo. "How nice! I didn't expect you, come in-"

"I can't stay for long," said Sheila quietly.

"Is something wrong?"

Sheila shook her head, then looked at the floor. Nonplussed, Jo stepped back and opened the door.

"You'd better come in," she said.

Very contritely, Sheila stepped over the Green family threshold, as if she hadn't spent every weekend there during her teens, and handed Jo the flowers.

"Wow. Thank you, Shee. They're gorgeous."

Sheila stood coyly in the hall, eyes still down.

"Come into the kitchen," said Jo.